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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29991474">gold rush</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/huntressreyna/pseuds/huntressreyna'>huntressreyna</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Awkward Tension, Dorks in Love, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Forehead Touching, Mutual Pining, Past Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Past Piper Mclean/Shel - Freeform, Past Relationship(s), Pining, Pipabeth - Freeform, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Soulmates, The Trials of Apollo Spoilers, hand holding, major character death mention</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 10:00:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,104</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29991474</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/huntressreyna/pseuds/huntressreyna</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"…  and yeah, Annabeth definitely loved her. But that tension was then, this was now, and there wasn’t a reason to bring it up. At least, Annabeth didn’t think so. She dropped it and so did Piper, and they continued to bake the rest of the night together."</p><p>or,<br/>the four times Piper and Annabeth almost kissed and the one time they did.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Annabeth Chase/Piper McLean</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>45</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>gold rush</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hey all!!! thanks for choosing to read this fic!! i absolutely love pipabeth they're seriously everything to me and i hope you enjoy</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>I.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>It was the end of summer, early August morning, a few days before all the summer campers at Camp Half-Blood were set to leave. Piper Mclean was in the training arena, taking her anger out on a training dummy with her dagger. She graduated high school and she was starting college in the fall, deciding to go back to California. She made the decision to study at Santa Clara University after getting accepted into a few universities throughout the state; she even applied for New Rome and was accepted, but she couldn’t take the offer. She felt like she needed a break, like being a demigod was too much for her, and by going to New Rome she wasn’t sure she’d be able to live how she wanted to.  She loved being in Oklahoma, learning more about her heritage on the reservation and connecting with her family, Piper even had a girlfriend (key word: <em> had </em>). It was refreshing and she felt like she could breathe, but she decided to go back to Camp Half-Blood for the summer, thinking it may be her last summer there. </p><p>Everything should be great, Piper should’ve been happy, she should’ve been jumping up and down, excited to start this new chapter of her life. But here she was, seven in the morning, angrily slashing training dummies across the chest or stabbing them in the abdomen with such force that the stuffing was spilling out. She was wearing gym shorts and her orange camp t-shirt, her choppy bangs were stuck to her forehead from the sweat and her chestnut brown hair was pulled into a messy bun.</p><p>“Shit, what’d those dummies do to you?” Annabeth cleared her throat.</p><p>Piper jumped slightly, almost dropping her dagger. “Fuck,” she said, letting out a breath of relief, “you scared me.”</p><p>“I can tell,” the blonde said with an amused smile, walking towards the other. “You okay though? I’ve never seen you tear apart dummies like that.”</p><p>“Yeah,” she lied, nodding, “just, uh, getting some training in before I leave, you know? I wanna stay in shape even though I’m leaving. What are you doing up so early?”</p><p>“Understood,” Annabeth said softly, “I came to train too. I mean, I’m leaving tomorrow with Percy for New Rome and there’s like, thousands of gyms, of course, but I’m gonna miss it here.”</p><p>“You’re coming back next summer though, right?” Piper bit her bottom lip, finally meeting the taller girl’s stormy gray eyes. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail and she was wearing leggings and a sweatshirt, even though it was the end of August and the sun was searing down on them. She knew Annabeth had a strong connection to Camp Half-Blood, it had been her home since she was seven years old. Of course there was a special place in her heart for the camp, even if she was growing apart from it.</p><p>“I… I don’t know,” Annabeth shrugged, her eyes flashed and Piper could tell she was upset. “It’s like weaning a baby off milk, I guess. Gods, I love it here more than anything, but I feel like I’m getting too old. You know, I’m a sophomore in college now and I’m getting internships and…” she trailed off.</p><p>“It’ll be okay,” Piper said, hoping it would reassure the other. “Maybe when Mr. D’s punishment ends, they'll let you be the camp director.”</p><p>Annabeth laughed and Piper felt her heart flutter, “Yeah, maybe.”</p><p>“You wanna spar? Get your mind off things?” Piper asked and Annabeth agreed. She took her sweatshirt off, wearing a tank top underneath, and she set her water bottle aside. They decided to go for hand-to-hand combat and Piper set her dagger aside.</p><p>“Alright, I told you what’s up with me,” Annabeth said breathlessly as she ducked from the punch Piper had thrown, “You wanna tell me what’s going on now?”</p><p>Piper scoffed, dodging what Annabeth had countered with. “It’s nothing interesting, trust me.”</p><p>“I still wanna know, Pipes.”</p><p>Piper almost froze at the nickname, but quickly regained her focus so Annabeth wouldn’t knock her over. She knew the other was strong, but she didn’t realize how fierce she could be during combat, at least while they were sparring together. She witnessed her kick-ass during their quest, but hand-to-hand combat with Annabeth was totally different. “My girlfriend broke up with me.” she said finally.</p><p>Shel, the first person she was <em> actually </em> in love with (without interference from any gods). The girl she confided in about Jason’s death. The first girl she kissed and dated and loved, broke up with her. Shattered her heart into a million pieces and crushed her soul.  It was a long phone call, <em> too </em> long, for Shel to say “I can’t do long distance” and then it was over. Piper was left distraught and devastated. Now she was just angry because everytime she closed her eyes, she saw those deep-blue ones staring right back at her. She could see Shel’s face clearly; her long and wavy dyed-purple hair, the piercing she had in her nose, the way the corners of her eyes crinkled when she laughed or grinned. Piper hated thinking about Shel, but her mind wasn’t stopping. Every minute of the day her mind was consumed by thoughts and memories of her ex-girlfriend.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Annabeth said, blocking another one of Piper’s counters at her. She was panting at this point, but she was too competitive to give up or let her win.</p><p>“It’s whatever, I guess. She just couldn’t handle long distance, apparently. I just think she didn’t love me like I love her,” Piper replied casually, like it was something she had been thinking about for a while. While Annabeth was left stunned by her words, she took advantage and grabbed her wrist, bringing her to the ground. “I mean, if you loved someone, you’d at least <em> try </em> right?”</p><p>Annabeth pulled Piper to the ground quickly, pushing her so she was on her back. She knew if she could pin her, she would win, but Piper wasn’t giving up easily either, still wrestling with her. “Yeah, I’d say that. I mean you don’t just give up.”</p><p>“Maybe it’s something only us heroes understand,” she replied sarcastically, allowing a bitter laugh to escape her lips, “I’m kidding, by the way. That sounded really snobby.”</p><p>“No, I get it. Kind of. I know where you’re coming from,” Annabeth nodded. She almost had Piper’s hands pinned down, but the girl below her used her leg to push the blonde onto her back. Annabeth grunted, attempting to wrestle from underneath her.</p><p>“Sorry,” Piper said between heavy breaths. She put her full weight on her hips even though she knew Annabeth would probably be able to flip her over and pin her down.</p><p>“Do you apologize to monsters too?”</p><p>“Shut up!”</p><p>Piper pinned Annabeth’s hands above her head. She was surprised and decided the other probably let her win. But they stayed like that for a minute, Piper hovering over Annabeth, both girls breathing heavily, trying to catch their breaths. She felt like she was blushing, but Annabeth couldn't tell since her cheeks were red already from the sparring. Piper felt crazy, like the energy in the room changed, suddenly charged with electricity. She had the urge to lean down and kiss her.</p><p>“Sorry,” Piper said again breathlessly, getting up. She helped Annabeth up and she brushed herself off.</p><p>“Don’t be,” Annabeth shook her head, “That was great, I really needed it.”</p><p>“Me too,” She said, going to grab her water bottle. She kept her back turned from Annabeth, her heart was still racing and her head was foggy now. She wanted to hit herself for even <em> thinking </em> of Annabeth in that way and wanting to kiss her. </p><p>“You’re gonna be in California, right?” Annabeth asked as Piper gathered her things together.</p><p>“Yep. Santa Clara University,” She told her, finally gathering the courage to turn back around.</p><p>“Promise to keep in touch then?”</p><p>Piper smiled a little, “Of course.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>II.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>Months passed. Piper made sure to keep her promise to Annabeth and they kept in touch, either calling or texting every day (thanks to Leo and the work of the Hephaestus cabin, there was finally demigod-safe technology). They talked about random things or sent each other funny videos they came across, sometimes talking about their days and whatever else was on their minds. They grew closer and closer, to the point where Piper didn’t know if she liked Annabeth as a friend, or if she wanted to date her. It was a thin line that she didn’t want to cross, especially since she was still getting over her breakup with Shel. And above that, Annabeth was still dating Percy. </p><p>It was more complicated than that, actually.</p><p>At some point during the first semester, Annabeth called Piper, sobbing. She was shaken up from a nightmare she had about being back in Tartarus, and although she couldn’t tell what she was saying between the cries and sobs, Piper did her best to reassure her, feeling her heart break for her. She couldn’t imagine the trauma and pain Annabeth was going through, and she didn’t know how to help. Piper offered to meet her, if she wanted to talk and to her surprise, she agreed. They met at a park in the middle of where they were both living so that way neither would have to travel far.</p><p>
  <em> “I just feel like I can’t talk to Percy about it,” Annabeth said. Her face was pale and ashen, and her eyes were cast downwards and glossy. “He went through the same thing, and we should be able to talk about it, but I know it hurts him as much as it hurts me. And I don’t know, I think I need a break.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “A break?” Piper questioned, “What do you mean by that?” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Like,” She inhaled deeply, her breath shook, “Like from Percy, I think. Is that too rash?” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Piper bit her bottom lip and wrapped an arm around Annabeth’s shoulder, “You need to do what’s best for you. Trust your instincts, Annie.” </em>
</p><p>And that was the last time it was talked about. Months passed since then, Piper was now in her second semester, it was springtime, and all sorts of carnivals and county fairs were popping up everywhere. Plus, Leo Valdez, one of her best friend’s in the entire world was coming to visit and she was more than ecstatic. She couldn’t remember the last time she saw him since he started living at the Waystation and going to school in Indianapolis. Of course, they talked on the phone every night for hours, but it wasn’t the same. Since he was on spring break earlier than her, he decided to visit and they agreed to go to one of the carnivals in town along with Annabeth and Percy. </p><p>The night was warm and breezy and it smelled like rain, flowers, and fried food from the carnival booths. There were all kinds of lights on the stalls and rides, decorating the entire fair and covering everyone in rainbows as they walked by. Piper and Leo waited at the entrance for the rest of the party to arrive, talking about how the first thing they wanted to do was get corn dogs and lemonade because they could smell it from where they were standing.</p><p>“Piper! Leo!”</p><p>The two turned to where they heard their names being called and (to Piper’s surprise) coming towards them was Annabeth and Hazel. </p><p>“Hey guys,” Piper smiled, hugging Hazel tightly, and then quickly hugging Annabeth. She wanted to ask where Percy was, but she refrained. She was excited to see Hazel again. She couldn’t remember the last time she had seen the girl, but it certainly had been a long time. Since she was fourteen or so, maybe. By the looks of it, Hazel was older now, she no longer had that “baby face” that Piper remembered so well from their first quest together.</p><p>“My Gods, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you guys!” Hazel gushed, hugging Leo tightly. “I feel like we have so much to talk about.”</p><p>“Oh, definitely. We should get food first though,” Leo suggested, and the other three laughed and agreed. Together, they got fair food, which was fried but absolutely heavenly. They talked, catching up on what was going on. Hazel talked about how it was being Praetor of the Twelfth Legion and Leo told them how he was juggling college, a job, and community service. Annabeth talked about a paid internship she was offered, and she was excited but Piper could tell she was holding something back. They played those rigged carnival games, which Annabeth and Leo were addicted to. They both knew the games were rigged and they wouldn’t win, but they kept trying anyways. At one point they even begged Piper to charmspeak one of the game attendants into giving them one of those giant panda’s as a prize that they decided they would share <em> somehow</em>. </p><p>“You guys wanna go on some rides?” Hazel suggested.</p><p>“Ooh! Let’s go on the ferris wheel,” Piper smiled widely and they all readily agreed. </p><p>“Okay, but I want to sit with Hazel,” Leo said as they got in line, “I’m tired of Piper.” Which wasn’t true at all, he just knew about Piper’s major crush on Annabeth.</p><p>Piper rolled her eyes, “Well then, I guess you’ll have to find somewhere else to stay for the weekend.”</p><p>“No, you’re stuck with me until Monday,” He grinned, linking arms with Hazel as the ride attendant motioned them forward to get into their seats.</p><p>Piper and Annabeth got on after a few more of the carts passed. The ride attendant pushed the lap bar down over them and wished them a fun ride.</p><p>“Do things like these feel like a trap to you sometimes?” Annabeth asked Piper, looking over at her. “Like I don’t know, I sound crazy for thinking some kind of monster is going to attack me at any minute.”</p><p>Piper shook her head, looking back at her. “You definitely don’t sound crazy, trust me. I’m still jumpy; on campus, in class, sometimes even in my own dorm room. I guess it’s just the trauma us heroes carry with us.”</p><p>Annabeth laughed softly, “I guess so, yeah. Can’t even enjoy a harmless carnival without being paranoid.”</p><p>The ride stopped and their cart was halfway up the ferris wheel and they could see one side of the carnival and the surrounding area which was mostly residential. Piper sighed quietly and leaned against Annabeth, “How are things? I mean, last time we hung out…” </p><p>“Right,” she said, pursing her lips softly. “We broke up. It was mutual, I think. I brought it up and he seemed relieved. I mean, he said he felt the same. And it’s just hard because it’s so awkward now, you know? Like trying to figure out how to be friends still. For now we agreed we just needed some time to ourselves to work things out.”</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Piper said softly, “That’s gotta be hard. I can’t even imagine. I mean, with everything you guys have been through together.”</p><p>The ride began to move again and Annabeth shook her head, “Don’t be sorry. It’s definitely for the best, you know? It’s just a little hard adjusting to it right now. But we’ll get through it, I mean we always do.”</p><p>She smiled slightly, “Yeah. I mean, there’s certainly nothing you can’t do.”</p><p>“You sound like a sap.”</p><p>“Eh, it comes with being the daughter of Aphrodite.”</p><p>The ferris wheel slowly went around a few more times, stopping their cart in various places. Whenever their cart stopped, they took turns yelling random names to see if anyone from below would look up. They felt like children in the best way possible. In the distance, fireworks began which made both girls jump at first because they weren’t expecting it. Their cart stopped at the very top of the ferris wheel and the sky was covered in pinks, blues, greens, and reds with different shapes big and small from the fireworks.</p><p>Annabeth’s eyes reflected the colors that were lighting up the sky and Piper found herself mesmerized. Without thinking she took the other girl’s hand and to her surprise, Annabeth took the time to lace their fingers together. She looked over at Piper, “It’s gorgeous, huh?”</p><p>Piper looked back at her with a smile tugging at her lips, “Very.” She replied, but she wasn’t talking about the sky or the fireworks. Silence hovered between them for a moment and a look flashed between Annabeth’s gray eyes and she felt the atmosphere change again, like it did that time in the training arena back at camp. Piper leaned forward slowly, pressing her forehead against her friend’s and for a moment, their breaths mingled and she thought they might kiss.</p><p>It was gone as fast as it came and the ride began to move again, lowering them down to the platform to get off. Annabeth untangled her fingers from Piper’s and together they got off the ride, leaving the electricity behind them.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>III.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>The sun shone down on New Rome, birds were chirping, flowers were blossoming. Everyone was outside, the spring weather had everyone in good spirits. Annabeth grabbed a coffee in the morning and went back to her apartment to study for an upcoming exam for a design course. She found herself having a hard time concentrating, the sounds of the birds outside and the Roman kids running up and down the streets playing games were distracting her. She pushed a hand through her hair, sighing loudly as she shut her laptop. </p><p>“Honey, I need a break,” Annabeth said out loud, looking over to her cat, who was named Honey, and was mostly black with some sandy brown spots near her face. Honey was curled up on the window hammock of her apartment, basking in the sunlight that was shining in. “Will you be okay for a few hours by yourself? I can have Hazel check on you.” and the cat looked at her like “<em> sure. okay. whatever as long as you leave food out for me. </em>” </p><p>Annabeth threw on a pair of jeans, and while she was getting dressed, she called Piper, putting her phone on speaker in order to multitask.</p><p>“Good morning, Annie,” the girl said when she picked up the phone. Annabeth felt her heart skip at the nickname, even though it was one Piper used for years. Truth be told, she only let Piper call her that or any nicknames for that matter, if anyone else called her Annie, it felt odd and not-special. But coming from Piper, it meant all the more.</p><p>“Morning, Pipes,” She said, throwing on a white floral tank top with thin straps, and a cardigan over it in case she got cold later. “You wanna go to a farmers market today? There’s one in Ferry Plaza and it’s open until 2.”</p><p>“Yeah! Gosh, I’ve been dying to get fresh fruit lately. I’ve been living off of frozen fruits, it’s like you read my mind. I’ll start getting ready!” Piper said excitedly.</p><p>“Awesome. So I’ll meet you there in an hour or so?” Annabeth asked, taking a quick look at herself in the mirror, deciding to leave her hair down for the day. Her curls fell just below her shoulders and she had a few strands that framed her face.</p><p>“Let me check the bus schedule real quick,” she replied. After a minute she spoke again, “An hour is perfect. See you then, Annie.”</p><p>“Bye, Pipes. See you soon.” She said, hanging up the phone afterwards. Annabeth stared at herself in the mirror again, puffing out her cheeks. She was trying to decide about adding more jewelry, or even wearing makeup which was rare for her, but she chided herself. <em>It’s not a date. You’re going to a farmers market with a friend, </em>she thought, <em>but then again why can’t I look nice to go to a farmers market?</em> She groaned loudly, realizing how much she was actually overthinking it. In the end, she decided to throw on a necklace and one of her favorite rings before heading out.</p><p>As discussed, they met at the farmers market within the hour. Annabeth drove there and waited outside for a few minutes until Piper arrived. There were dozens of different stands at the market; fruits, vegetables, crafts, and even booths that had homemade pet treats. There were also tons of dogs with their owners, and Annabeth knew Piper would freak out when she saw them since she was a huge dog-lover.</p><p>“Hey stranger,” Piper greeted as she walked up to Annabeth. She was wearing a long-sleeved olive green dress that was fitted to her body and white sneakers with big square sunglasses sitting on top of her head.</p><p>“Hey! That dress is gorgeous by the way.” Annabeth commented, giving the girl a quick hug. She really meant to say <em> Piper, you look gorgeous </em>, but she stopped herself before it could come out.</p><p>“Oh! Thank you,” She smiled brightly, and Annabeth swore Piper was charmspeaking her with that smile alone. “You look great too, by the way. I feel like I haven’t seen your hair down in forever.”</p><p>Annabeth laughed softly, “Yeah, mostly just covering up the new decor I got from Honey,” she moved her hair out of the way, showing Piper the scratch that was in between her shoulder and neck. It was in the midst of healing, but she could still tell how bad it was. “Remind me to never try giving her a bath by myself again.”</p><p>“She was out for blood, huh?” Piper traced her finger over the scar, “She could’ve gone right for the jugular. You’re lucky she’s so generous.”</p><p>Annabeth felt a shiver travel down her spine and through her fingertips despite the lack of breeze in the air, “I truly am lucky.” she said with a soft chuckle. The two walked into the plaza together, arms linked, and free hands holding onto the reusable bags they brought. Even though only two weeks passed since they saw each other at the carnival and talked nearly every day since then, there was still so much to catch up on. Piper talked about how midterms were coming up and she couldn’t find any quiet places to study. Annabeth told her about different things that were happening in New Rome, giving updates on the Twelfth Legion, and hinting that Piper should come visit soon. The two stocked up on lots of fruits and vegetables, visiting multiple stands in the market, making small talk with the owners before moving onto the next.</p><p>“I should’ve brought a bigger bag, or at least another one,” Piper said with a soft laugh, her bag was almost filled to the top with fruits.</p><p>“That would be a lot of fruit, Pipes,” Annabeth commented with an amused smile, “Maybe it’s best you don’t have two bags. That would be annoying to hike back to campus with.”</p><p>“I’ve been deprived, you don’t understand, Annie,” Piper said with a slight whine, shaking the other girl's shoulder. “The grocery stores near us have fruit that is basically rotten and so we have been eating frozen fruit. Which, to be fair, is not terrible, but I have not had anything fresh since I was at camp. My body is going to deteriorate.”</p><p>“You’re body is doing just fine, trust me,” Annabeth chuckled as they continued to walk around the plaza, getting to the final booths and stalls. Some booths were selling clothing and others had handmade bracelets and headbands among other woven things. Suddenly, she was being tugged to the stall that had woven bracelets.</p><p>“Look at how pretty these are,” Piper said, her eyes glowing up with excitement. Annabeth watched as she talked to the woman at the stall. She was older with a friendly smile and talked about how she had been making jewelry for years and recently started selling at markets. They talked for a little longer, then Piper turned to Annabeth, “What do you think of this one?” She held up a woven bracelet that was thick with blue, purple, and a light orange color with a white zig-zag pattern in the middle.</p><p>“I think it’s gorgeous,” Annabeth smiled and before she could say anything else, Piper was buying two bracelets, the one she had shown to Annabeth and one that was similar but was different shades of pink and purple with white in the middle. They both thanked the woman before walking away to the open grassy area where there were people hanging out and talking.</p><p>“You didn’t have to buy the bracelet for me,” Annabeth said, smiling slightly.</p><p>“I know, but I wanted to,” Piper responded, attempting to tie her bracelet on her own wrist, but it wasn’t working as well as she hoped.</p><p>“Let me help you,” She laughed a bit, moving closer to Piper and reaching out so she could tie the bracelet around her wrist.</p><p>“Thanks,” Piper said quietly, the faintest smile on her lips, looking up at Annabeth. “Here, let me help with yours.”</p><p>Annabeth held her wrist out to her and watched as she tied it on there, adjusting it slightly afterwards. The world around them went silent and Annabeth felt like she could hear blood rushing to her head. Her cheeks burned and she knew they were going from pink to red. Their eyes met and Annabeth was staring into hazel eyes that seemed to be shifting to brown and dark blue, like a kaleidoscope. Her ears were buzzing and her head swam, she wanted to lean down, hold Piper’s cheeks and kiss her.</p><p>She didn’t. Instead, Piper took a step back and cleared her throat. The farmers market was beginning to close, owners were taking down their stalls, and people were walking around the two to leave. “I should go,” Piper said quietly, rubbing the back of her neck, “The bus stop is a few blocks down and I don’t want to miss the next one to Santa Clara.”</p><p>Annabeth opened her mouth, she almost offered to give Piper a ride back to campus, even though it was an hour out of the way. She didn’t.</p><p>“Oh, yeah,” she shook her head, like she was trying to remember something, “Of course. I’ll see you soon?”</p><p>Piper smiled and quickly hugged the blonde, “Yeah, I’ll see you soon.” she pulled away and the two walked in opposite directions.</p><p>Annabeth felt like something was missing. She looked down at the bracelet sitting on her wrist, it always ended like this. <em> Almost but never </em>.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>IV.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>Annabeth got home from class, throwing her bag on the couch and plopping down. She laid on her back, staring up at the ceiling. She was exhausted; between her internship, classes, and all the studying she put in everyday, she felt like curling up right there and sleeping through the rest of the day. It was late in the afternoon, almost 4:30, and she just finished her classes for the day and as for her internship, she just had to send a quick email to the supervisor about the hours she put in this week. She threw her arm over her eyes, curling further into the couch. Her cat joined her, settling onto Annabeth’s stomach and purring softly. She felt herself drifting off, slowly falling into a deep slumber.</p><p>Then her phone rang, startling both her and Honey. She sat up, pulling her phone out of her back pocket as her cat bolted to the other side of the room, finding a different spot to curl up and sleep.</p><p>“Hello,” Annabeth said softly, rubbing her eyes.</p><p>“Annabeth, hey,” Piper sounded frantic, “Listen, I did something stupid and I need your help.”</p><p>She sat up straighter, immediately worrying that her friend was in danger, “What happened? Are you okay? Where are you?”</p><p>“Maybe I should have led with something else, I’m not in danger don’t worry. I’m at the grocery store, but listen. So the one of the clubs I joined is doing a bake sale to raise money for our local chapter of Planned Parenthood and I told them I could help with and make some cupcakes or whatever. To make a long story short, I need to make like two hundred cupcakes by tomorrow and I don’t have a kitchen.”</p><p>Annabeth almost laughed, pushing her hand through her hair, “Gods, Piper. And you wait until the day before to tell me?”</p><p>“I’m sorry, I know! I just completely forgot. But can I come over and borrow your kitchen? I’m bringing all the supplies so you don’t have to worry about it,” Piper said.</p><p>“Yeah, of course. But are you gonna be able to carry everything with you on the bus? I mean supplies for hundreds of cupcakes sounds like a lot…” </p><p>“I have a plan, don’t worry. I’ll see you soon! Love you, bye!” the other girl hung up and Annabeth shook her head. If it were anyone else calling her last minute to borrow her kitchen to make two hundred cupcakes, she’d be pretty upset. But it was Piper, and she would do just about anything for her.</p><p>She got up and decided to wipe down the kitchen counters, clearing anything unnecessary out of the way, taking out bowls and whisks in case Piper didn’t have enough with her. Annabeth cleared off the dining table too, knowing they’d probably need a lot of space. By the time Piper arrived, the kitchen, dining room, and living room were cleaned up and there was plenty of space for two hundred cupcakes.</p><p>Annabeth opened the door when she heard a knock and laughed loudly almost immediately. There stood Piper, her hair pulled back into a ponytail with a few strands secured by bobby pins. She was wearing a paint-stained t-shirt and leggings, and she carried a huge bag with her. Meanwhile sitting next to her at almost hip level was a large purple suitcase. She looked at the suitcase then back at Piper.</p><p>“Oh my,” Annabeth said between laughs.</p><p>“Don’t laugh at me! It was the only way I was able to carry everything on the bus,” Piper huffed, walking into the apartment. “I feel like an idiot.”</p><p>“That’s actually pretty creative,” Annabeth shut the door behind her, “C’mon, I’ve got a decent sized oven and a few cupcake tins.”</p><p>“I have a feeling I’m gonna be here all night,” Piper said. She looked exhausted, her eyes were droopy and her normally deep caramel skin was pale. She set the bag on the counter and laid the suitcase on the floor. “I’m really sorry again. I hope I didn’t intrude on any plans you had.”</p><p>“Pipes, don’t worry about it,” she smiled to the girl, “It’s a Friday and my only plans were to go to sleep. Trust me, you’re not intruding.”</p><p>“Well thank you for being my savior, seriously,” she said, unloading the dozens of egg cartons from the bag she carried in, as well as boxes of pre-made cupcake mix.</p><p>“Don’t thank me,” Annabeth said, opening up the suitcase, “It’s no trouble at all, really.” She began to unload all of the cupcake tins and aluminum containers with the plastic tops that Piper brought. There was also a ton more cupcake mix inside the suitcase and other ingredients like sugar and oil and a few premade cans of the Funfetti frosting.</p><p>“That sounds like a lie,” She mumbled, putting measuring cups on the counter.</p><p>“Do you want it to be?” Annabeth raised an eyebrow.</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Okay then,” she gently put an arm around Piper’s shoulders, “I promise, it’s fine. I don’t mind really. I promise.”</p><p>Piper leaned into the taller girl with a soft sigh, “Well, thank you.”</p><p>“Stop thanking me, we have cupcakes to make,” Annabeth chuckled quietly. The two got to work; Annabeth helped figure out the measurements to make a bigger batch while Piper turned the oven on to preheat it. She began to mix the ingredients together using Annabeth’s new measurements rather than the ones on the box and the blonde began to fill the trays with cupcake liners. They worked like a well-oiled machine; Annabeth checking on the cupcakes in the oven while Piper made more batter and filled more trays. Once the remaining trays were filled, Piper leaned against the wall perpendicular to the counter letting out a loud huff, wiping her hands on her pants.</p><p>“How much longer do you think it’ll take for the rest?” She asked, looking at Annabeth who was bent over, pouring cat food into Honey’s bowl.</p><p>“Well, let’s see. We can fit two trays in the oven at one time, which holds twenty cupcakes, and so far it’s been taking about twenty minutes for them to completely cook through without burning…” she stood up straight, scrunching her eyebrows together, “two-hundred divided by sixty…” Annabeth looked over at Piper, hands on her hips, “about three and a half hours. But probably longer considering the time it takes to make the batter, let the cupcakes cool, and frost them. Plus, not every batch is going to be perfect. Some might take longer to cook.”</p><p>Piper groaned loudly, which made the other laugh. “That’s a lot of math. It made my brain hurt.”</p><p>“Sorry,” Annabeth said, beaming. She walked over to her, adjusting her ponytail, “But to be fair, you did ask.”</p><p>She wiped her face with a soft huff, “I know.”</p><p>“Pipes,” She said with a quiet giggle, “You got batter all over your face.”</p><p>“Oh gods,” Piper laughed tiredly, looking at her hands which were covered in dry batter, “Well look at that, it’s all over me.”</p><p>She grabbed a paper towel and put it under some warm water, “Here, I can help,” she reached up to gently wipe the batter away from Piper’s cheeks. The other girl was looking up at the blonde, her eyes a vibrant hazel and mouth slightly parted open, like she was going to say something but nothing came out. She didn’t realize how close they were until she moved her hand from her cheek and noticed the blush dancing on Piper’s cheeks. Annabeth’s breath hitched and she didn’t move, but neither did the brunette. Instead, she reached her hand up to her cheek, fingers just brushing Annabeth’s cheekbones. Her mind was swimming in thoughts and she searched Piper’s eyes to see if she <em> wanted </em> to kiss. Almost nothing was stopping her from leaning down and closing the gap between their lips, finally being able to get a small taste of her. And yet, her body wouldn’t follow her commands, like she was frozen in time. The kitchen timer went off, a piercing ring went through the apartment and Annabeth jumped away while Piper quickly retracted her hand.</p><p>Annabeth turned the kitchen timer off quickly and opened the oven to make sure the cupcakes were done before pulling them out and leaving them on the counter to cool. Piper was behind her, putting another batch in the oven with the other two trays that were filled with batter. Neither said a word and Annabeth wanted to slap herself, her brain nonstop wondering why this happens almost every time her and Piper are together. And why do they never talk about it? Is it wrong? Does she even like Piper in <em> that </em> way? She looks over at the other, her eyes traveling down her body noticing the way her hair is falling out of the bun and how even though her blue t-shirt is stained in paint and cupcake batter, it still compliments her deeply tanned complexion. The way her eyes looked like a kaleidoscope with dark brown, blue, and green all mixing together. They tended to change that way, but Annabeth never witnessed her eyes be every color at once. And while she was gorgeous, she also had a heart of gold. She was friendly to everyone and protective of her friends. She liked to talk and she was funny without meaning to be…  and yeah, Annabeth definitely loved her. But that tension was then, this was now, and there wasn’t a reason to bring it up. At least, Annabeth didn’t think so. She dropped it and so did Piper, and they continued to bake the rest of the night together.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>V.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>Piper was in the midst of packing. The room was sweltering hot despite the windows being open and the fan pointed directly at her. Her roommate was on the ground, soaking up the coolness of the tiles, complaining that it was too hot to pack. Piper had to remind them there was only two days left before move-out and they should try to get started.</p><p>“It’s such a nice day out though. Are you really going to stay in and pack?” Charlie said, resting their hands on their stomach, “why don’t you go out? Ask that girl you like to go on a picnic at Santa Clara central park.”</p><p>“First of all, she’s one of my best friends. Things are more complicated than that. Secondly, I’m taking advantage of not having finals today and packing because I gotta get my things to storage before I leave,” Piper said as she packed away the stuff on top of her desk into a box. </p><p>“Dude, you’re seriously not paying for a storage unit after I told you a <em> million </em> times that your things can come home with me.”</p><p>“I don’t want to impose!” Piper huffed.</p><p>“You’re annoying,” Charlie said and Piper stuck her tongue out at them before settling on her bed. She looked out the window wearily, the sun was shining brightly and the air was still. Ever since she made cupcakes with Annabeth at her apartment, she had been cautious when hanging out with her. She usually made it a “group thing” so it wouldn’t just be the two of them alone. As much as she wanted to hang out with Annabeth, she felt guilty for some reason, like it was wrong. She was in love with her best friend and she couldn’t tell if Annabeth felt the same. Even though she wasn’t with Percy anymore, it still felt <em> weird </em> because surely she wasn’t over him and she still loved him. <em> But maybe it was a different type of love now? </em> Piper thought, pursing her lips tightly. It was complicated. Too complicated. And as much as she loved her, she didn’t want to lose her either.</p><p>Charlie groaned loudly again, throwing their arms above their head, “Dude, I can hear your thoughts from my favorite spot on the floor. You’re invading my bubble from your bed. How is that even possible?”</p><p>“No, if you can hear my thoughts then you’re invading <em> my </em> brain,” Piper rolled her eyes and got up, “I’m just gonna call her and see if she’s busy.”</p><p>Charlie clapped unenthusiastically, “Atta girl,” they said plainly, like they knew she was going to do it anyway.</p><p>Piper got up and called Annabeth, putting the phone to her ear while pacing back and forth in the room.</p><p>“Hello?” Annabeth answered.</p><p>“Hey, Annie,” Piper said, exhaling the breath she was holding. “Are you busy today?”</p><p>“Let me check my schedule.. Hm.. nope. I’ve got nothing going on,” She replied and Piper could practically hear her smiling through the phone.</p><p>“You wanna go on a picnic? It’s nice out and there’s this really pretty park by me,” She told her, still pacing, occasionally having to step over Charlie who decided to sprawl out in the middle of the floor.</p><p>“Sure, yeah, that’d be fun,” Annabeth told her, “Do you need me to bring anything?”<br/>“Mm, nope. Just yourself. Meet me in two hours?”</p><p>“Of course. I’ll see you then.”</p><p>Piper was grinning, “Okay, see you then. Bye.” She said before hanging up the phone. She looked over at Charlie, “I appreciate the encouragement. Thanks.”</p><p>“Sure, no problem. Want me to drive you to the grocery store?”</p><p>“Nope. I’ll uber there, you gotta pack,” Piper said, picking out clothes to wear. She decided on light-washed jeans that were loose fitting, secured by a belt and a black fitted tank top that was tucked into her jeans.</p><p>“Wear your docs. So she knows you’re gay,” Charlie commented, pushing themselves up from the floor.</p><p>“She already knows,” she laughed a little but decided to wear her Doc Martens anyways because they looked cute with the outfit and definitely not because of Charlie’s suggestion. “I’ll see you soon. Get some packing done.”</p><p>“Okay mom, have fun on your date.”</p><p>Piper grabbed her purse and sunglasses, “It’s not a date.” She told them before heading out the door. She walked downstairs to the lobby and out of the building. The air was more dense than she expected and the sun was blazing down on everything below it. And for just a brief moment she couldn’t help but think of Lester/Apollo, wondering if he still remembered what being mortal was like. <em> Maybe he didn’t mean to fly so close to the ground today, </em> she thought as she put her sunglasses to shield herself from the intense rays that were hitting her. A few minutes passed and her uber arrived, she got in and made small talk as she was driven to the grocery store. She picked up a variety of different things at the store; strawberries, grapes, crackers, cheese, anything really that would be easy to have on a picnic. She got a bag of ice and sparkling lemonade, if she was the same person when she was 16, she would’ve gotten a bottle of rosè and used charmspeak on the cashier. But a lot changed in 3 years, plus sparkling lemonade tasted better in her opinion. She put a few other miscellaneous items in her cart before checking out. Back at her dorm, she borrowed a picnic basket from her neighbor and put the food, drinks, and a few other things inside, laying a blanket on top before closing it up.</p><p>When Piper checked her phone to look at the time, she noticed a text from Annabeth that read ‘<em>I just left, see you in an hour!’</em> which was sent almost forty minutes beforehand. Piper didn’t even realize how fast the time passed and so she hurriedly grabbed the basket and walked out of her building. The good thing was Santa Clara Central Park was only a few blocks outside of campus, the bad thing was that Piper was already sweating.</p><p>“Damn the sun,” She muttered to herself, continuing at her pace towards the park. When she arrived, she stood still, taking a breath and looking around. As nice as it was outside, there weren't a lot of people there. There was a huge pond and in the center a fountain spewing more water into the pond. There were benches scattered throughout and a trail that led to a nature walk, though it was way too hot for a hike. She found a shady spot underneath a tree and spread out the blanket, kneeling down to set up the plates, cups, utensils, and some other things to tie it together.</p><p>“Hey, stranger.”</p><p>Piper nearly jumped and turned around, “Gods, Annie, do you have to scare me every time?” </p><p>Annabeth laughed, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to, I promise.”</p><p>“All is forgiven, come sit,” she said, patting the spot next to her. She watched as the blonde brushed her hands on her jeans before sitting down next to her. Her golden blonde curls were in a loose braid down reaching her upper back, a few strands had fallen out already. She wore skinny jeans and white short-sleeved button down with tan sandals that wrapped around her ankles. Her gray eyes were reflecting the sun and they mirrored a stormy day that was clearing up. Piper was blown away because Annabeth truly looked like a goddess.</p><p>“You’ve got quite the spread, huh?” Annabeth said with a soft smile, pulling out the fruits that Piper packed into the basket.</p><p>“I did. I wanted to have a variety of things in case,” Piper leaned back on her hands with a smile, “Crackers, fruits, cheese, cake, you know the works.”</p><p>“Well, great because I’m starving. I was at my internship all morning and didn’t have time to eat,” Annabeth said, taking  a plate and putting some strawberries and grapes on it. Piper poured them both lemonade and handed Annabeth utensils in case she wanted to use them.</p><p>“What do you do at your internship? It’s for an architecture company right?” she asked, popping a grape into her mouth.</p><p>Annabeth’s eyes lit up in excitement immediately, “well, it’s landscape architecture. At first, they just had me doing paperwork and stuff, which was boring, but whatever, it’s something under my belt for the future, I guess. But then I was talking to one of the designers and he showed me his blueprint for a building addition to a campus nearby and asked my opinion on it. He was so impressed by my ideas that he told his boss and long story short they’re letting me help on one of the projects.”</p><p>Piper grinned, “Annabeth, that’s amazing. I mean you’re a sophomore in college and already working on architecture designs for the city. That’s pretty fucking fantastic.” Annabeth was blushing, but Piper could tell she was proud of herself, which of course was well deserved. It was something she had been working towards since she was a kid, nearly ten years now and she was making this long-awaited dream a reality.</p><p>“Thanks,” She said sheepishly, a smile still on her face. It faded soon after and she bit into a strawberry. “I don’t think I’m going back to camp this summer.”</p><p>Piper nodded, pulling her knees to her chest and eating another grape. “That was kind of expected right?”</p><p>“Yeah. It wasn’t definite until now though. The company wants me to work throughout the summer. There’s talks of offering me a part-time job, but…”</p><p>“Holy shit!” Piper reached over and grabbed Annabeth’s shoulders, “I mean an internship is one thing. But they’re gonna offer you an actual job. Annie, I’m so proud of you.”</p><p>“I’ll miss you though.” She said quietly, “I mean you’re leaving to go back to Oklahoma soon, right?”</p><p>“Yeah, in a few days. I’ll come visit though, I promise,” Piper assured her, keeping her hands on her shoulders. “I know not going back to camp will be tough but think of all the opportunities you have here.”</p><p>It was hard to tell what Annabeth was thinking about, she looked like she might cry but confusion briefly crossed her face. “Can I kiss you?” She whispered.</p><p>And Piper was taken aback, her face must’ve shown it because Annabeth suddenly shook her head and got up.</p><p>“Shit, Piper. I’m sorry,” She frantically said, “I just thought and I don’t know why I would ever think <em> that </em>. Gods, I feel so stupid, I’m so so so —” Her stammering was cut off. Piper had stood up and grabbed her hand, pulling the taller girl close. She leaned up and closed the gap between them, their lips finally meeting. Annabeth leaned down, bringing her hands to cup Piper’s cheeks and kissed her back eagerly. Piper felt like there were sparks flying between them, her fingertips were tingling and felt like they were on fire. Annabeth’s lips tasted like the strawberries she just ate and her mint chapstick. She inhaled, pulling her body closer to the blonde before pulling away slowly.</p><p>“Sorry,” Piper whispered.</p><p>“Why?” Annabeth whispered back. Their foreheads were pressed against each other’s and their lips were almost brushing against each other as they spoke.</p><p>“Dunno,” she let her eyes close once again. “I love you, Annabeth. I have for a while.”</p><p>Me too,” the other brushed her thumb against Piper’s cheek, “I mean, I love you. I have, for a long time, I think.”</p><p>And Piper leaned into her, kissing her again. This time it was more fierce and passionate. Annabeth moved one of her hands to the small of Piper’s back, drawing her closer. Her lips were soft and her skin smelled like vanilla bean, Annabeth wanted nothing more than to stay there forever, inhaling every scent, tasting every flavor that came off of Piper’s lips. While she couldn’t, they spent the rest of the afternoon together in each other’s arms, kissing with soft touches here and there. Nothing else mattered in the world and it was just them.</p><p>
  <em> Fin </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i hope you enjoyed! comments and kudos are well appreciated&lt;3 you can find me on twitter @sapphicspiper for more pjo and pipabeth content!! in the meantime check out my other pics as well. love you all MWAH.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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